Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 217

as the archipelago's unofficial capital. Other San Juan Island highlights include sheltered
Roche Harbor and blustery Lime Kiln Point State Park, where you can whale-watch from
the shoreline overlooking deep Haro Strait.
The ferry terminal is at Friday Harbor, on the eastern side of the island. The main
route south from here is Cattle Point Rd, while Beaverton Valley Rd heads to the west
coast. To get to Roche Harbor, take 2nd St to Guard St, then turn right on Tucker Ave;
from there it's a 10-mile drive to the resort.
Sights
With a population of 2000, Friday Harbor is San Juan's only town, with a grid of wide
paved streets lined with restaurants, shops and a couple of interesting museums. In all it
provides enough diversions to fill a good morning's exploration. In recent years a grow-
ing contingent of realty offices has added disquiet. But Friday Harbor is still a low-key,
pedestrian-friendly kind of place where the worst kind of hassle you're likely to face is
an uneven paving stone.
Whale Museum MUSEUM
( www.whale-museum.org ; 62 1st St, Friday Harbor; adult/child $6/3; 10am-5pm) If you have
time for only one sight, be sure to pop into the Whale Museum, a small but cleverly ar-
ranged display space dedicated to the life of the orca (killer whale), which has become
something of a San Juan Island mascot. Among whale skeletons and life-size models of
orcas, there are eloquent DVD presentations, interactive maps and details of local re-
search projects, all of which will teach you everything you need to know about these
magnificent but cruelly misunderstood sea mammals.
San Juan Historical Museum MUSEUM
( www.sjmuseum.org ; 405 Price St, Friday Harbor; adult/child $5/3; 10am-4pm Thu-Sat, 1-4pm
Sun May-Sep) In an 1890s farmhouse on the outskirts of Friday Harbor, the San Juan His-
torical Museum commemorates early pioneer life on San Juan Island. While the building
itself is interesting for its vernacular architecture, the displays of kitchen and parlor fur-
nishings - like the pump organ and massive wood range - are also worth checking out.
Open afternoons only in the winter.
San Juan Island National Historical Park HISTORIC SITE
MAP